Light + Building 2018: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Light + Building is the world’s largest exhibition of futuristic products and services in the field of lighting, electrical and building automation. And this year’s fair is just days away.

The exhibition serves as an industry platform as well as a meeting place for key international players and visitors. Showcasing the latest in light innovations and smart building service engineering, the fair will be March 18-23, 2018, on the exhibition grounds of Frankfurt am Main.

Light + Building 2018 features a wide array of firsts. What’s more, many exhibits will be representing the best in the field.

Light + Building is Europe’s leading trade fair. Further, it is a celebrated international exhibition of lighting and building automation. More than 2,600 exhibitors will showcase innovative products there. Read on for important details about the event.

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Event Details

Industries and Exhibitors

For more detailed information about this trade fair check the official website. To learn more about the brand exhibits, click here

Guided Tours

Numerous design innovations and amazing new products are the fair’s key attractions. Besides these wonders, however, you can also arrange for guided tours. A guided tour can be especially helpful if you want to interact with particular brands.

Facilitated by partners, guided tours allow exhibit visitors to gain fresh perspectives while making contacts. The tours are available for industry personnel, such as architects, planners, builders, and operators. Some tours are provided by local authorities and some by the planning departments.

Events

Fair events are organized into four categories: Emotion, Selection, Skills, and Career. These categories will help visitors organize their time according to their chief area of interest.

Global Footfall

The industries encompassing global lighting products and smart building have grown rapidly. Consequently, Light + Building has grown as well.

This year, nearly half of all visitors to the exhibition are from Frankfurt. Visitors and exhibitors will be flooding into Frankfurt from elsewhere in Germany as well. Other countries that will be represented by a high number of visitors and exhibitors include Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Austria, France, Switzerland, Spain, and Poland.

Strictly Business

This trade fair is open only to trade visitors. No casual visitors will be allowed admittance. Nor will cameras be allowed. As a matter of fact, the taking of photographs of anything on the premises is prohibited.

Navigator App

To help visitors better cover the events at Light and Building 2018, the organizers offer a navigator app designed especially for this exhibition. Plan to use your time in Frankfurt more efficiently by downloading the Light + Building Navigator App. It is available on the App Store as well as on Google Play. Use the app to locate booths and exhibitors of interest. You’ll be able to head straight for them without any hassle.

Free WiFi

Wireless access across the fairgrounds will be available free of charge. However, users may access this free WiFi with only one mobile device at any time.

Don’t Miss It

So, all you design and technology enthusiasts, don’t miss this 6-day product parade in Frankfurt. Gear up to experience light in action at Lighting + Building 2018.

What Is the WordPress 503 Error and How Does One Fix It?

Don’t you just love WordPress? We do, too. However, like many of us, you have probably fallen victim to WordPress errors at one or another, maybe even the WordPress 503 error.

Well, we have gotten that error, too. And it took us quite some time to figure out the solution to the problem. But, hey, cut us some slack. Because back then Internet wasn’t so easy.

Anyway, now we can offer you some of the most common reasons why the WordPress 503 error happens. Plus, we’ll give you some ways to fix it.

Worry not; you don’t need a PhD in rocket science to nail the WordPress 503 error into its coffin!

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What Is the WordPress 503 Error?

Before you can solve a problem, you need to know what caused the problem in the first place, right?

So yeah, let’s understand this error right now.

The most common reason the issue occurs is because of server resources. Most servers, especially shared ones, have limited resources dedicated specifically to any one website.

So the slightest hike in traffic or usage can cause the WordPress 503 error.

On the other hand, do you have any known enemies? If someone doesn’t like you, they could initiate a DDoS attack on your site. This means that multiple compromised computer systems target you, causing a flood of incoming messages and pings that use up your server’s resources. This can result in a DDoS, which stands for “distributed denial-of-service.” If this happens, you’ll likely get a WordPress 503 error.

These cases are always temporary. Once the attack stops or traffic plummets, your site will come back up. At that point, you should definitely change and/or upgrade your server.

A Troublesome Plugin Can Cause the WordPress 503 Error

On the other hand, the issue could lie with either your plugins or your theme. These are just codes, after all, and codes can get quirky at times. When they do, you’ll need to fix them on your end if you wish to be rid of the problem for good.

Fortunately, it’s easy to pinpoint the cause in the case of plugins. What I mean by this is that WordPress will tell you if one of your plugins is causing the error. You can even identify the exact plugin that’s causing the error, as a matter of fact.

How to Fix the Error If It’s a Plugin Issue

If you think that one of your plugins is the root cause of your troubles, simply disable all of your WordPress plugins. I can hear you protesting now: “Wait! How can I do that? Isn’t my WordPress admin panel showing that error? So how will I be able to log in?”

Not to worry. Just go to your Cpanel and disable all your plugins from there.

Here’s how to do that:

Log in to your hosting server (or use an FTP client).

Go to the directory where you’ve installed WordPress.

Navigate to Wpcontent.

Within Wpcontent, look for a folder called “plugins” and rename it something else. Anything else. Just rename it. The thing is, once you rename it, your WordPress installation can’t communicate with the folder, and thereafter the plugins will be disabled.

Next, create another folder named “plugins,” but leave it empty for now. This just lets WordPress know there’s a plugins folder present.

Now, refresh your site. If your site works again after your refresh, you’ll know that one or more of your plugins was the source of the problem.

Delete the new folder you created and left empty.

Rename the actual plugins folder back to “plugins.”

All your previous plugins will now come back to life. However, they will still in reality be deactivated. And because they are, your site will work. So now, you’ll need to log back in to your site and reactivate each of your plugins. In the process, you’ll be able to identify the plugin that’s been causing your problems.

That’s because eventually, you’ll encounter the troublesome plugin that caused the WordPress 503 error in the first place. You’ll know because after you reactivate it, you will again get the WordPress 503 error. Since you’ll now know that that’s the plugin that’s causing the issue, delete it. Your site should be trouble-free after that.

Or It Could Be a Theme Issue

If going through the above-described plugins process doesn’t solve your problems, your theme might be causing the error. Because only one theme can be active at any given time, the one you’re using is clearly the culprit, right?

Well, here’s what you need to do: Delete that theme. Yeah, it’s that simple. I get it, though. Because of the WordPress 503 error, you still can’t log in to your WordPress site, so you can’t do it from there.

So we’ll take the road less traveled once again:

Log in to your Cpanel or use an FTP client.

Navigate to Wpcontent > themes.

Now, delete the folder where your theme resides, and you’re done. Simply select the folder and hit the delete button on your keyboard. That should do the trick.

In most instances, your theme automatically defaults back to “Twenty Twelve” or any other default WordPress theme that you’ve got stored on your server.

If you’ve deleted your default themes, however, you might need to download a theme separately. Upload it manually to the themes folder.

If that didn’t solve your problem, worry not. There’s still hope for you.

First, check out these detailed solutions by 000webhost. They have left no stone unturned.

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If All Else Fails, Talk to Your Hosting Provider

If you’re still searching for a solution and nothing else has worked, you’ll need to talk to your hosting company.

Let them know the issue you’re facing. Also tell them that you’ve already tried the possible fixes described here but they didn’t work for you.

Let me say this straight out: Hosting companies aren’t responsible for fixing these kinds of issues, and they might not help you unless they really want to.

On the other hand, most established hosting companies such as Bluehost or Hostgator do fix minor issues such as WordPress 503 errors. After all, they’re experienced with these kinds of things, and it doesn’t take them a lot of time to fix them.

Final Words

We hope the solutions described here have solved your WordPress 503 error issues. We’ve tried to include as many ways as we’ve used, known, or heard of. There are still other ways to solve this problem, but the solutions described here are the most common and the simplest.

If you know of other ways to fix the WordPress 503 error, let us know on our social media profiles.

Finally, keep in mind that if you go with a good hosting provider, most WordPress issues can be solved from their end and you won’t have to worry about them.

Why You Should Hire a Tutor to Help You with Writing Online Assignments

Are you going to school in order to learn more about the world of business? If so, there are probably times when the press of your online assignments leaves you feeling overwhelmed.

As a business owner as well as a student, you are exposed to an enormous amount of data on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, from time to time, you could find yourself faced with the impossible task of trying to absorb more than you can possibly take in.

At those times, a professional tutor can be a great help. After all, you still have a business to run as well as classwork to complete. Why not do yourself a favor and ask for a little assistance? Below, we discuss some of the benefits you’ll enjoy by contracting with a tutor to help you.

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Appropriate Solutions and Excellent Grades

A tutor can guide you toward the solutions your online assignment requests of you. Also, allowing a professional service to help you with your assignment can help you to earn a better grade than you would have otherwise.

More Free Time

A professional tutor can help you to complete your online assignments faster, freeing your time for taking care of your small business or spending time on hobbies or with friends and family.

Templates for Future Assignments

Your professional tutor will guide you toward preparing your online assignments in such a way as to leave you with templates upon which you can base future schoolwork.

Improved Skills

Your professional tutor will help you to improve your skills. Additionally, you’ll gain a greater understanding of your online assignments, which will help you in the future.

Meeting Deadlines

Instead of struggling to finish assignments at the very last minute, hire a professional tutor well ahead of the deadline. In this way, you’ll always be able to turn in your online assignments on time.

Preparation for Exams and Tests

A professional tutor can help you to prepare for exams and tests.

24/7 Helpline

A good professional tutoring service will offer an online helpline to assist you every day of the week, at any hour of the day or night. If you find yourself in difficulty with an assignment, just call. With professional assignment help, you’ll be able to finish your online assignments on time.

Is Homework Overrated as a Tool for Learning?

The main purpose of homework given by the teacher or professor is to help the student to better learn the course material.

However, there are some who would argue that too much homework defeats the very purpose for which it is given. When students feel continuously stressed by the demands of excessive homework assignments, they miss out on times with friends and family and often neglect their health.

Besides, experts recommend that students also engage in extracurricular activities as well as activities inside the classroom. Doing so provides students with a well rounded education, giving them chances to learn new things and explore their interests.

How to Choose a Professional Tutor

If you decide you want to engage the services of a professional tutor to help you learn more from your classes and make better grades, here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

Review any comments left on the company’s website about their services. Other students’ comments will give you a basic idea about the faculty and their qualifications.

If possible, personally meet the faculty and inquire about their experience and qualifications.

Ask for the phone numbers of other students who have previously used the professional’s services, then call those customers directly. You’ll want to know as much as possible about the tutor’s interactions with these former students, as well as how well the tutor met deadlines and the quality of their work.

Find out as much as you can about client support. A good professional tutoring service will provide a readily available client support system.

Clearly understand the charges, terms and conditions of a professional tutoring service before you hire them.

Finally

If you’re running a business and going to school, too, you have multiple demands on your time. Hiring a professional tutor to assist you with online assignments can help you to do better with your schoolwork and to absorb the classroom material that will serve you best in the long run.

Tips to Help You with Growing Your Startup in 2018

If 2017 saw you finally launch the startup of your dreams, you have probably spent recent months working on fine-tuning your processes, getting as many customers as possible, and sorting out your finances. However, it’s important to think about ways to keep growing your venture, so you can start to achieve your goals ASAP. To help you do this, read on for tips you can follow today and over the year.

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Better Understand Who You’re Targeting

One of the first steps you should take is to think about, and better understand, who it is you’re actually targeting with your products or services. It’s not enough to say your wares are designed for “women with children” or “busy CEOs,” for instance. You need to have a very specific type person in mind, an ideal customer.

Once you’re clear on this shopper, it’s time to learn as much as you can about their typical lifestyle and behavior. Conduct research (e.g. read reports, articles, books, surveys) and discover what you can about them.

Find out things such as:

How, when, and where they shop

What their key needs and wants are

How they like to communicate and receive customer support

What problems they need solved or benefits they’re looking for

The price point they prefer

Which marketing avenues will best reach them

Put Together a Plan of Attack

Next, while some growth occurs naturally as your startup ages, significant growth won’t happen unless you devise a plan of attack to create it. You must be proactive. Decide which areas you want to focus on each month, quarter, and year to move your venture forward.

It pays to have a detailed business plan you can refer to again and again. This will remind you of your business vision, mission, and other goals. This ensures you don’t work on things which won’t help you get the results you’re after.

Your plan should cover where you want your startup to be in 12 months, 2 years, 5 years, and beyond. Additionally, it should include a marketing strategy for the year, broken down into months. It needs to contain information as well on things like your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Also include likely financial projections, staff requirements, and sales processes.

Use your business plan to help you work backward. For example, think about what you want to have achieved in a year’s time. Then decide exactly what you need to do to make that happen. Plan out, step by step, what you must do each month to achieve these goals. Further, decide on the necessary order of each task.

Concentrate More on the Sales Process

Next, realize that if you want to grow your business, you must commit to spending more time on sales. One of the main reasons why so many ventures stall is that their owners aren’t concentrating on the sales process anywhere near enough. While you might find this area challenging, it’s something you need to do if you want to reach your goals. This is true even if you feel like you’re not a born salesperson, or you don’t think you should “sell” people on your products or services.

Working on sales isn’t about trying to do the hard sell and make people buy things they don’t want, though. It’s about making sure current and potential clients know exactly what you have to offer. Additionally, it’s about letting potential clients know how best to use products or services. Basically, sales is about communicating the benefits of your wares and how they can improve your customers’ lives.

Selling successfully involves showing customers you’re there to help, and then following up regularly, even after the sale, to ensure they’re satisfied and getting the most benefit possible out of their purchases.

When you’re in the startup phase of business, try to devote at least 80 percent of your day to sales-related tasks. This will enable you to gain a foothold in the market rather than just be another number. Once your business becomes more established, you can reduce time you spend on specific sales processes and other direct customer interactions to around 30 percent of your day.

Learn New Things

Lastly, keep in mind that to grow a venture, you must grow yourself. That is, you should continually learn new things. When you’re open to cultivating your skill set, broadening your knowledge base, and gaining more experience, you will be much better placed to identify exciting new opportunities, or potential threats that could halt growth in its track.

Gaining new skills can also mean you’re better able to manage finances, develop marketing strategies, negotiate with suppliers, and decide on the right people to surround yourself with to help grow the business, just to name a few things.

There are all sorts of different ways to learn. You might decide to get an in-depth education by enrolling in an online MBA program in California or a data science course in New York City, for instance. Or you could complete some specialized training in areas where you’re lacking. Also, attend workshops and events and become a member of business clubs and relevant associations. Moreover, as a startup owner, be sure to read books, blogs, magazines, reports, and white papers that are relevant to your business and your industry.

The Fundamental Components of a Car Sharing Business

Car sharing is hot right now. In fact, the car sharing business is so hot that many car manufacturers are afraid that the traditional model of car ownership is about to collapse.

Car sharing is a relatively new development in the U.S. As a matter of fact, most domestic car share companies claim a history of a decade or less. Nonetheless, it is quickly gaining popularity with the younger crowd. Between 2010 and 2015, the total annual revenue for car sharing businesses doubled. Before 2024, experts believe it could increase another 34 percent to $16.5 billion.

It’s safe to say that now’s a good time to get into the business of car sharing.

Fortunately, running a car sharing company isn’t much different from running any other business. Here are the steps for starting your own car sharing business.

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Understand the Market

You aren’t the only entrepreneur with the genius idea to capitalize on the car sharing craze. Currently, there are 27 car sharing companies operating in the United States. What’s more, others overseas are eager to move into the American market. Before you launch your own car sharing enterprise, you should probably understand how established businesses understand the question, “What is car sharing?”

Here’s a snapshot of the more successful car share companies out there:

Zipcar. The world’s largest car sharing company, and one of the most aggressive at purchasing its competitors.

Car2Go. Another major car sharing competitor, owned by German auto behemoth Daimler.

Enterprise Car Share. A long-term car rental business that has recognized the demand for short-term car sharing.

Maven. GM is hedging its bets with its own car sharing program, which is a hybrid of short- and long-term rental.

Turo. Using Airbnb’s model, Turo is a car sharing business that allows personal car owners to rent out their vehicles.

Undoubtedly, there are a few regional car share organizations available in your area. You need to understand the drivers in your market before you develop a business plan for your car share company.

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Find Your Niche

Unless your market is untouched by the existing car sharing players, you will need to distinguish your new outfit from the others. One of the best ways to do this is by targeting car share users whose needs are not currently being met.

Hopefully, your market research will uncover a niche that is unaddressed. Otherwise, you can take inspiration from any of the following minor car sharing programs. These are limited to individual cities or small regions around the U.S.:

Student CarShare. This Canadian car sharing outfit operates around universities in Ontario, Canada.

FlightCar. This is a peer-to-peer car sharing business that services 11 airports.

BlueIndy. Specializing in electric cars and adding public charging stations, this Parisian company functions only in Indianapolis.

New niches appear every day. For example, many massive housing complexes in big cities are considering adding car sharing programs as amenities for their tenants. Even rural zones that were previously considered not-ideal for car sharing programs are beginning to see interest in the sharing economy. So that you can succeed, be sure to develop a strategy that allows you to avoid directly competing with established companies.

Choose Your Tech

Before you finalize your car sharing business plan, you need to acquire your tech. Technology is a necessity for car sharing. This is what makes short-term rental convenient for consumers. Car sharing programs require a fleet of vehicles as well as an armada of hardware and software to assist consumers and the back-office. At the very least, your outfit will require:

Keyless entry and ignition systems for customer access to vehicles

GPS systems for tracking vehicles

A website and mobile portal for information and transactions

A billing engine for managing accounts and payments

A fleet management tool for scheduling use and maintenance

Fortunately, you can find car sharing platforms with much of the software components built in and ready for your customization. Still, you can expect to spend between $1,000 and $1,700 per vehicle on hardware. Additionally, you’ll spend about $40 to $60 per month on software hosting and support.

Develop Your Cost Structure

There is one final component of a car sharing business: the cost structure. All businesses have expenses, but the costs incurred by car sharing can be substantial. Setting aside the initial purchasing of vehicles, maintaining a fleet is expensive. In addition to the regular expenses of running any business, such as employee salaries and office utilities, you will likely pay for:

Fuel

Vehicle maintenance

Cleaning

Parking

To survive these costs, you need to pass many of them on to your users. This requires you to develop a strong cost structure that consumers won’t scoff at. Typically, car shares charge monthly member fees as well as per-mile rates. You should consider what is right for your audience as you develop your cost structure.

Divorce and Your Business: Preparing for the Unthinkable

So, you’ve built the perfect life. You have a spouse and children. You own a home. And you have been successfully operating your own small business for some time now.

When people marry they don’t intend to divorce. However, the truth is 40-50% of all marriages in the United States end in divorce.

And, as if divorce weren’t trying enough, things only get more complicated when you and your spouse own a business.

As a business owner, being prepared for divorce is not a bad thing. It is not telling of what will happen in the future. Nor does it indicate that you love your spouse any less than you should. And it definitely does not make you a bad person.

In fact, protecting your business from a potential divorce is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Plus, it is just a smart business move.

Read on to learn two important ways you can prepare for a divorce. These tips will stand you in good stead even if you and your spouse were to divorce years into your marriage and long after your business has become a success.

1. Keep It Separated

Though this can be difficult, especially if you and your spouse opened up shop together, try your best to keep family matters and business matters separate. After all, business property that is shared and intermingled with your family, your spouse included, can be considered relationship property during divorce proceedings. This means you could lose half of your business in a divorce.

One great way to help prevent this, especially if you started your business before the marriage, is to have a prenuptial agreement in place. In this way, both parties know ahead of time what to expect.

If you have a prenuptial agreement in place, make sure it meets the following conditions:

It is in writing and signed by all involved parties

Each party receives independent legal advice pertaining to the agreement

The document has been signed in the presence of an attorney

Keep in mind that it is crucial to get the help of an experienced law firm, such as Romano Law, P.C., while setting up a prenuptial agreement. The same goes for those times when you are facing divorce.

This is because if at any time during your divorce proceeding the overseeing judge feels the prenuptial agreement was created as an injustice to one party it can be overturned.

Understanding the complex nature of divorces that involve family-owned businesses, the right divorce attorney can help you get what you deserve and defend you against unsavory exes out to cause unnecessary problems.

2. Create a Trust

Typically, when people are divorced, regardless of the state they reside in, all property and assets are split 50/50, unless there is a pre- or postnuptial agreement in place.

That said, you can protect your business from falling victim to the 50/50 rule if you place it in a family trust. This is because once you transfer your business to a family trust, it can no longer be considered “relationship property.” Now, it officially belongs to only you.

With a family trust you can allocate yourself or your children as beneficiaries. This will prevent your losing your business to your spouse. This is especially important if you had your business in place before marriage. Further, it can save you the hassle of fighting it out in court.

Having an experienced family trust attorney to help you with this is critical. However, keep in mind that you cannot establish a family trust in hopes of cheating a spouse out of property or assets that they are legally entitled to.

Take Steps to Protect Your Interests

In the end, protecting your business from divorce can be challenging. This is especially true if you don’t take proactive measures before you or your spouse file the divorce petition. Luckily, with the help of a knowledgeable attorney, such as Michael Romano of Romano Law, P.C., you can receive all the legal counsel you need. Good legal advice will protect your assets, including your business.

Let’s say you have some photos on your phone that you want to use in some Facebook ads. The only problem is, they all have time stamps on them. This article will give you some solutions for getting rid of time stamps.

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Best Ways to Remove Time Stamps from Photos in 2018

Simple-to-use photo editing tools can help you to get rid of time stamps on your photos. Basically, there are two techniques you can choose from.

1. Crop to Remove Time Stamp

One of the easiest ways to remove a time stamp from a photo is to crop the photo.

There are two basic methods for cropping photos. If you’re using a PC with Windows, MS Paint will be your go-to tool. On the other hand, if you’re a Mac user, access the Photo app, where you can easily edit your images.

How to Crop Images on Windows with Paint

Windows Paint gives you one of the easiest ways to edit images on Windows. Since it comes as a built-in tool, you won’t need to load the app to your system. Cropping images on Paint is actually pretty easy to do.

First, open the app on your system. Then go to the file menu and open your editable photo file. Next, you can use either of the following two techniques:

Crop your image in a rectangular shape. Do this by selecting the rectangular crop option from the Paint app. Click on the image and drag the cursor to select the area you want to crop. When you’re ready, hit the crop button and save your cropped image to your desired folder.

Crop your image in a free-form shape. To do this, hit the black arrow below the Select button and choose a free-form shape. Crop the image by dragging the mouse on your desired path, then hit the crop button. Save your image.

How to Crop Images with the Photo App on a Mac

You can easily edit images on Mac using the Photo app. Before you can do this, you’ll have to update your Mac to the latest Mac OS X using Yosemite. It’s worth it, though, because you’ll find the Photo app simple to use. Load the image, then double click on it to start editing. Use the rectangular or square drag tool to crop the image. Hit the crop button, then save the image to your desired folder.

It’s worth noting that the crop tool is a basic tool that’s available in both the Mac Photo and MS Paint apps. However, it won’t provide you with ideal results. Most of the time, for professional-looking results, you’re going to have to use advanced photo editing tools.

2. Remove the Time Stamp with Fotophire

If you need a high-quality solution to deal with your photo editing and time stamp removal jobs, try Fotophire’s feature-rich photo editing toolkit as an inexpensive alternative to Photoshop. The company offers a free trial of their app. However, images edited in the free version will have a Fotophire watermark on them.

Therefore, to get the best results, you’ll need to turn to the paid version. Fotophire is easy to use, and it will remove unwanted elements from your image with just a few clicks.

There are two ways you can go about removing time and date stamps from images using Fotophire.

Method 1: Using the Erase Tool

Go to the Erase tab, which you’ll find on the right side of the toolbar. Choose the tool for date stamp removal. The selection rectangle tool will give you any geometric shape you need to cover specific areas of the image.

Also, you can use the Selection brush. This has a variable brush size slider to help you more precisely select the area on the photo that you wish to edit. Once you have selected the desired portion on your image, hit the Erase button and it will remove that element from your image.

Method 2: Using the Clone Tool

The Clone tab is just below the Erase tab. In order to use this tool accurately, you’ll have to choose the right source point size and brush size. The size of a source point and brush will help to determine dimensions of the area that you want to copy. These values are specific to different segments of the image, so you’ll need to make accurate adjustments for editing. To clone the specific area, hold the Alt key and select the area. Then drag your selected portion over the unwanted time or date stamp. If you need more precision, you can simply zoom or pan the area.

Use Your Best Photos to Good Advantage

Hopefully, this article has given you the information you need. Now you can remove those unsightly time stamps and start using some of the great photos on your phone to help promote your business.

When you start a new business, you’re often tasked with doing a majority of the work yourself. Therefore, sorting through your options for various pieces of business software is likely low on your list of priorities.

First, you need to find all of your employees. Then, you’ll have to decide what types of products and services you want to offer. Next, comes strategizing about how you’re going to effectively sell those products and services. Basically, most of the decisions are solely yours.

However, that doesn’t mean that you have to create your own processes or start each division of your new company from scratch. In fact, there are many types of software that can make things easier for you. What’s more, they will also be beneficial to your business. This is true not only in your company’s starting phase, but as it continues to grow.

Here are 3 pieces of business software to consider.

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1. Human Resources Software

Human resources (HR) is responsible for a number of duties that are critical to business success. For instance, this department is tasked with helping you find and hire employees who would be a good fit for your business. As a matter of fact, the right employees can potentially take you to the next level. It also handles other activities necessary for creating a solid workforce. For instance, its functions include scheduling, payroll, performance evaluations, disciplinary actions, and more.

That’s why this category of software is the first item on your must-have list. By using HR software such as Roubler’s, you can easily create job postings. You can also set (and change) employee schedules and compile time sheets for payroll purposes. This frees up your HR staff to handle all of the other the employee issues that typically arise on a daily basis, such as call-ins or changes in benefits.

Even if your company isn’t big enough to have its own HR department, this software can still streamline processes for the individuals at your company who are responsible for these duties. Again, the less time they have to spend on HR issues, the more time they have to spend on other areas of your business.

Roubler’s HR Software

2. Project Management Software

As a new business owner, it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of all of the projects your employees are engaged in. This could result in missed deadlines. Then, too, if a contractor or supplier contacts you and wants the status of a particular project, you’ll have to track it down. This means contacting the person assigned to it, getting a status update, then calling the contractor or supplier back. That’s a lot of work that you could eliminate. Wouldn’t it be far better if you could simply check your computer and find the status that way?

This is part of what makes project management software so invaluable. As IPM Global points out, the advantages of project management software include having greater control over your projects. That’s because all of your projects are stored in one convenient place. As a matter of fact, the entire team knows their status at all times. Project management software also makes it easier to create standard operating procedures, ensuring consistency across your business’s spectrum.

Trello

3. Industry-Specific Software

Though this category of business software is difficult to describe in general terms, wouldn’t it be nice to have a program that helped you navigate the ins and outs of your particular industry? One that provides all of the features you need, and none of the ones you don’t? That’s what industry-specific software does for you.

TradifyHQ’s Tradesmen

For instance, there is software designed to help businesses involved in electrical, plumbing, building, and heating and air. These trades have their own nuances, their own way of doing things, so having software that addresses their needs in a practical way can make running a business in one of these fields less cumbersome. Check the software options for your field. You might find one that you can’t (or don’t want to) live without.

Choose the Right Software for You

Finally, the right software can help you run your business more efficiently. But be sure to choose the right software. It may just mean the difference between you running your business and your business running you.

In today’s post, I’m going to share with you the top 4 online business ideas you could start in 2018. Of all of the dozens of ideas you’ll find for starting an online business, these 4 are the most timely and promising.

However, if you think you want more ideas than these 4, check these posts for more ideas: here and here.

First one?

Idea #1: Dropshipping

This online business idea became quite popular last year. And it’s getting even easier now, with all of the tools available at the beginning of 2018.

Dropshipping is a method of being a retail seller without having to buy inventory in advance. All you need to do is to collect the information from the buyer and facilitate the purchase. Then you send the order information to the manufacturer and they send the products directly to the buyer.

Here is an image to quickly illustrate this model.

With dropshipping you can start selling without having a big budget in advance. You can test the product and scale up or back without having to deal with the complications of manufacturing and logistics.

The most critical piece of dropshipping is finding the right products. To begin, create a store on a platform like Shopify and load your first products. Then, start testing with ads to find out if each product you’ve chosen is a hero or a zero. If you find you have a winner, scale it up. If it’s a dud, stop selling it and look for a better one.

Continue in this fashion until your store is everything you envisioned it to be.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO BUILD A DROP SHIPPING BUSINESS THAT ROCKS

Idea #2: Content Curation

I was intrigued with this online business idea at the beginning of the year when Brian Clark started his newsletter, Further. Basically, he curates quality content in health, wealth, wisdom, and travel to help you live your best life.

People have been going nuts over it.

No one has the time to check all the blogs out there for the best, most beneficial content. But what if someone else took the time to find all the best information and then handed it to us on a silver platter?

Here is a quick image from Ross Simmonds that describes this model aptly.

Becoming a content curator will enable you to build your audience fast. Then you could monetize your site by way of affiliate marketing, selling ads, selling products, and so on.

Idea #3: Sell Online Courses

This is an old business model that has taken on new life in recent years. These days, it’s more profitable than ever.

To get started with this online business idea, you want to build trust with people by sharing content with them in whatever format and on whatever platform feels right to you. That is, you can do this on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or your own blog. The latter is my personal preference.

After you demonstrate your expertise and build your audience, you can then sell your own products. The idea is to teach your audience how to solve a problem you know they’re facing.

You can also create a membership site and collect monthly payments from members. This will give you a recurring income.

If you don’t know where to begin with setup, look to platforms like Kajabi. Platforms such as this one take the stress out of setup and ease the management of your entire membership site.

In order to make this model work, you’ll need to differentiate yourself, be likable, and establish your authority by demonstrating it, time and time again. Eventually, people will beg you to sell them your knowledge.

Idea #4: Yoga Instructor

There was a big trend last year in selling yoga classes online.

Examples of successful yoga sites are Reflexion Yoga or Yogaia. However, many other people can also create live yoga training sessions and sell them online.

This model provides would-be yogis with fresh yoga classes every day or every other day for a small recurring fee. And for instructors, it is a great way to get paid monthly by people all over the world, people who want to do yoga classes with you.

If you’re not into yoga, you could also benefit from this idea by teaming up with a local yoga instructor. Let the instructor teach the class, and you handle everything else from building the site, bringing the audience, and managing the business.

Before you start, make sure to come to a mutual agreement as to whether you’re going to pay them a monthly fee for their expertise or share with them a percentage of the business’s earnings. I prefer the latter because it makes them more invested in the success of the site.

Start Your Business Today

So what are you waiting for? Get going! The new year has started and the days are already passing us by.

First, decide which idea you’re going to start with, focus on it, and get into action. Before you know it, you’ll have your own online business.

The Internet has become truly invaluable to business growth. As a matter of fact, some companies earn extremely high profits solely by existing online. But what happens when your online presence seems to be getting away from you? What if it has taken on a life of its own and you’re not quite sure how to gain (or regain) control?

Fortunately, there are many things you can do to get a better handle on your online presence. Here are four tips to get you started.

1. Pick the Right Domain Name

Many new small business owners fail to fully recognize how important the right domain name is. Your domain name is the foundation of your online presence. But it’s kind of like choosing a name for your baby. You want to pick one that means something, something that will be effective for your business. In this case, then, you want it to mean something for both your company and the consumer.

The one thing that arguably makes this more difficult is that you may come up with the perfect domain name only to discover that it’s already taken. However, this doesn’t mean you’re out of options. There are still many ways to register your desired domain name. One involves approaching the person who currently has it and asking if they’d be willing to give or sell it to you. A domain broker can assist with this process.

2. Buy Multiple Domains at One Time

Sometimes in business you need more than one domain. This can be a a part of your online brand protection strategy. Or maybe you have completely different companies that you are responsible for running. Or perhaps it’s just one business, but you want separate domains for each of your product lines.

Whatever your goal or structure, one way to get a handle on this is to buy multiple domains with a bulk discount. Come up with a list of the sites you want to register and buy them all at one time. This can save you time. That’s because you won’t have to go in and select each one individually. It can also save you money because you’ll be purchasing in bulk.

RELATED ARTICLE: 4 SEO MISTAKES YOU DON’T HAVE TO MAKE

3. Carefully Plan Your Social Media Strategy

If there is one online area that can get completely out of control and take on a life of its own, it is social media. This is because, although you may set up the page or profile, it’s the engagement of those who interact with you that can largely determine how effective you are.

To better manage your social media presence, take the time to develop your overall social media strategy. If you have multiple profiles on one platform, reduce them to a single one. Save even more time by automating your posts. You can use services like HootSuite or SproutSocial to post for you on all of your social media sites.

4. Pay Attention to Online Reviews

Not only do you have to tend to your own websites and social media pages to get a better handle on your online presence, but you also need to pay attention to reviews submitted to sites like Yelp and Google. Social proof is very powerful, so responding to your consumers’ accolades and complaints on these types of platforms is critical to maintaining a positive image.

Of course, the simplest solution is to conduct business in a way such that you don’t get negative reviews. However, you might get a negative review despite your best efforts.

There are some ways to effectively handle bad online reviews so as to minimize damage, though. These include looking at the review objectively to determine if it has some validity, then responding with tact and apologizing for the consumer’s experience. Finally, ask what you can do to solve the issue and make things right.

Conclusion

Do these four things and you’ll be well on your way to getting a better handle on your online presence across a variety of platforms.